FEATURES

FEATURES

Senators from the South-South geopolitical zone have endorsed the contentious Tax Reform Bills pending before the National Assembly.

In a statement signed on behalf of the group by Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West), the lawmakers have highlighted the importance of the bills in enhancing national revenue.

 

The statement said, “Recognising the importance of tax reforms in enhancing national revenue and fostering economic stability, we resolved to support the Tax Reforms Bills.

“This support will be anchored on a comprehensive study and thorough evaluation of the content of the Bills to ensure they align with the overall interest of Nigerians, particularly the well-being of the South-South region.

“The Caucus calls for restraint on the part of those bent on introducing sentiments, whether regional, ethnic or tribal to a national dialogue and looks forward to robust interactions and consultations as already commenced by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We remain committed to working collaboratively with our colleagues across the Senate and all stakeholders in fostering a legislative agenda that guarantees the peace, prosperity, and progress of our beloved nation.”

 

According to them, their support for the bills stems from a shared commitment to boosting national revenue and driving economic growth.

 

The senators, who cut across party lines, also expressed their unflinching support and confidence in the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.

“After a meeting held on the 4th of December, 2024, we, the senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from the South-South geopolitical zone, met on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, to deliberate on key national issues and the role of the Senate in advancing the collective interest of the country. After extensive discussions, the following resolutions were made:

“The South-South senators unanimously agreed and passed a vote of confidence in the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to standing by him and supporting his leadership in steering the Senate toward its constitutional mandate of making laws that serve the best interests of the nation and its citizens.

 

“We pledge our full support to the Senate President and the leadership of the National Assembly in their efforts to ensure the effective and timely passage of legislation aimed at promoting good governance, national unity, and economic development.

The communiqué was signed by Senator Seriake Dickson (Chairman), Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe (Secretary), Senator Barinada Mpigi, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Neda Imasuen, Senator Munir Ned Nwoko, Senator Thomas Joel-Onowakpo, Senator Aniekan Bassey, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, and Senator Allwell Onyeso.

Others include Senator Ipalibo Banigo, Senator Benson Agadaga, Senator Konbowei Benson, Senator Eteng Jonah Williams, Senator Ekong Sampson, and Senator Ede Dafinone.

Dele Farotimi’s book, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System,’ has become a bestseller on Amazon Books as the human rights advocate faces legal action over the publication.

The book is ranked 555 out of all books on the e-commerce website and is number one in elections.

The book also topped Amazon’s charts in general elections, political process, and political commentary and opinion.

Customer reviews rated the book 4.9 out of five stars.

Published on July 2, Farotimi examined how affluent Nigerians allegedly manipulated the country’s judicial system for their interests.

However, his description of the country’s legal landscape has become a subject matter in a law court.

On Wednesday, Farotimi was arraigned in a magistrate court in Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti state, for allegedly “criminally defaming” Afe Babalola, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), named in the book.

The activist pleaded not guilty to all the charges.


Samson Osun, the police prosecutor, asked the court to remand Farotimi pending further investigation.

Dayo Akeredolu, counsel to Farotimi, opposed the remand request and prayed the court to admit the activist on bail under liberal terms and self-recognition.

Akeredolu’s bail application was rejected.


Abayomi Adeosun, the magistrate, ruled that Farotimi be remanded in prison custody till December 10.

Hours after the legal proceedings, Roving Heights, a bookstore, announced that its website crashed.

The bookstore said the technical glitch was caused by “unusual traffic and a spike in demand for some titles”.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has stressed the need for the people to end corruption in Nigeria before the practice does more harm to the country.

The anti-graft agency asserted that corruption has severely undermined Nigeria’s economic and social fabric, urging citizens to demonstrate the bravery necessary to expose corrupt practices.

Naija News reports that Ekere Usiere, the Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner for the Commission, emphasized this during an event in Yenagoa commemorating Anti-Corruption Day.

 

The Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board organized the event.

In her presentation titled From Fear To Courage: Overcoming Barriers To Whistleblowing In Nigeria, Usiere warned that without the courage to confront corruption, Nigeria faces the peril of being overwhelmed by it in the foreseeable future.

She stressed that to combat corruption effectively, the nation must adopt a mindset of courage and reject fear.

She said, “There is no gainsaying that the scourge of corruption has brought Nigeria to its knees, from economic underdevelopment to socio-political decadence. If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will definitely kill Nigeria. That is why we need an effective whistleblower mechanism as a critical tool to fight against corruption.

“To effectively blow the whistle against corruption, we, the citizens, need courage. The absence of fear is simply the definition of courage. Citizens need to overcome cultural, psychological and systemic challenges to blow the whistle against corruption and other ills bedevilling our country, Nigeria.

“This programme is therefore a timely and welcome development. The aim of this paper is to charge participants to obliterate fear from their mindset and embrace courage in order to blow the whistle against corruption. If we must fight corruption in Nigeria and reduce it to the barest minimum, then we must put on the armour of courage to surmount the fear of whistleblowing.

“If you see something, you must say something! If you hear something, you must say something.”

 

Earlier, the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, commended the Anti Corruption and Transparency Unit for the excellent job done in putting the event together while reiterating his resolve to staff to protect the institution from all forms of corrupt tendencies through preventive strategies.

His words: “Today, we are marking and celebrating the International Anti-Corruption Day, with a focus on raising the consciousness of our youths to the ills of corruption and how it turns the socio-economic development of any nation.

“This is to send a strong message for extra-vigilance by all of us in combating the menace. In NCDMB, we have taken deliberate steps to curb corruption. We have provided adequate support to our ACTU members by providing a functional office and giving them a free hand to discharge their functions.

“In the area of capacity building and awareness, we have deepened our participation in the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria through capacity building training for staff, including training in corruption prevention techniques, strategies for effective workplace anti-corruption campaign, bribery and corruption risk assessment, etc.; all these underline the board stance against corruption.

“In the area of system check, we have instituted corrupt risk assessment probing major functions of the board including human resources, procurement, monitory, evaluation, planning, research and statistics, all in a bid to mitigate vulnerability to corruption across the board.”

The Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, George Ibezimako Ozodinobi (LP, Anambra), has condemned the decision of some Labour Party (LP) lawmakers to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ozodinobi, who spoke shortly after the Speaker announced the defection of his colleagues during plenary on Thursday, said the defectors would weep.

 

He added that they don’t have a future in the new party they crossed to.

Recalls four Labour Party (LP) House of Representative members defected to the APC as announced during plenary on Thursday by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas.

The lawmakers who defected to APC are Esosa Iyawe (Edo), Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Matthew (Kaduna), and Bassey Akiba (Cross River).

Also, a lawmaker, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu (Delta), dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC.

The now-former Labour Party lawmakers cited division within their party as the main reason for their defection.

Reacting to the development, Ozodinobi raised a point of order on the floor of the House and, in his comment, expressed disappointment with his colleagues who had just left the LP.

“I will quote the Bible. When Jesus was carrying the cross to the Calvary, the woman, Veronica, was weeping. And he looked back and said, women of Israel, don’t weep for me, weep for yourself.

“I am telling those who have defected that they will continue weeping for themselves because where you have crossed over to, you don’t have a future,” he said.

About 215 students of Obafemi Awolowo University out of 7,368 will graduate with first-class honours during the 48th convocation ceremonies of the Ivory Tower.

Speaking at the pre-convocation press conference held at the university campus yesterday, the vice chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, disclosed that the events would take place from December 5th to Saturday, 14th December, adding that students from the 13 faculties of the institution will graduate with varying degrees.

The vice chancellor gave the breakdown of the graduating students as follows: Second Class Upper Division: 2,198, Second Class Lower Division: 2,691, Third Class: 755, Upper Credit: 61, Lower Credit:

33, Pass 62, making 6,015 for classified degrees.

According to him, the unclassified degrees are as follows: Distinction: 13, Pass with Distinction: 59, Pass with Credit: 154, Pass: 169, totalling 395. Postgraduate Degrees are as follows: Postgraduate Diplomas: 74, Master’s Degrees: 708, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): 186, totalling 958.

Bamire also disclosed that the university would confer honorary doctorates on five exceptional individuals for their significant contributions to humanity, uplifting the less privileged and advancing societal progress through their talents, financial resources, and material support.

 

According to Bamire, these individuals include Senator Oluremi Tinubu, First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Dr. Akinade Akanmu Ogunbiyi, Group Chairman of Mutual Benefit PIc; and Prof. Anthony Adegbulugbe, a distinguished entrepreneur, academic, and engineer.

Others include Prince Karl Olutokun Toriola, a seasoned business leader and telecommunications expert, and Daere Afonya-Akobo, a prominent figure in the oil and gas sector.

 [Leadership]

State govts borrowed N533bn, generated N1.92tn IGR, serviced debt with N658bn

A total of 29 state governors spent N1.994tn on recurrent expenditures, including refreshments, sitting allowances, travelling, and utilities in the first nine months of 2024, findings by The PUNCH have shown.

It was also gathered that the states obtained a N533.29bn loan, while it spent N658.93bn to service its debts owed to local, foreign, and multilateral creditors.

However, these states fell short in their revenue-generating targets, collecting a total sum of N1.92tn as internally generated revenue but fell short of the revenue target of N2.868tn, recording a deficit of N948.28bn.

 

The recurrent data utilised in this report did not include personnel costs.

An analysis of the fiscal performance of each state, utilizing data from the Q1 to Q3 budget performance reports obtained from each state’s website, revealed a pressing need for stringent measures to prioritise fiscal discipline, especially amidst growing calls to reduce the costs of governance.

This comes despite a 40 per cent increase in the state’s statutory allocations from the Federation Account.

For the first three quarters of the year, our correspondent examined budget implementation data from twenty-nine states; data for six states was not available.

Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Sokoto, and Ogun states were the ones without the latest data from January to September 2024.

Since the commencement of the current administration, state governments have enjoyed improved monthly allocation mainly due to the elimination of fuel subsidies and the unification of the foreign exchange market.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative recently noted that the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee disbursed N3.473tn to the three tiers of government in the second quarter of 2024.

This reflects an increase of N46.77bn (1.42 per cent) compared to the first quarter of 2024.

The Federal Government received N1.102tn, representing 33.35 per cent of the total allocation, while 36 states received N1.337tn (40.47 per cent), and the 774 local government councils shared N864.98bn (26.18 per cent).

A comparison with the previous quarter shows that the Federal Government’s allocation decreased by N41.44bn (3.76 per cent), while state governments saw an increase of N58.13bn (4.29 per cent), and local government councils experienced a rise of N30.82bn (3.57 per cent).

But this improved funding hasn’t translated to an improved standard of living for its citizens.

A breakdown showed that the 29-state government spent N1.994tn on its recurrent expenditure, which included refreshments for guests, sitting allowances to government officials, local and foreign travel expenses, and utility bills.

The general utilities include electricity, internet, telephone charges, water rates, and sewerage charges, among others.

Lagos, Plateau, and Delta States spent the highest on their operating expenses, incurring a cost of N375.19bn, N144.87bn, and N121.54bn, respectively. This was followed by Ondo and Bauchi spending N107.34bn and N99.31bn.

Niger State, under the leadership of Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, was the highest borrower within the review period, obtaining loans worth N79.09bn. Katsina followed with a loan of N72.89bn. Oyo State also got a loan of N62.48bn.

In terms of revenue, Lagos State collected the highest of  N912.17bn, followed by Rivers State with a collection of N269.18bn. Third on the list was Delta (N97.02bn).

A state-by-state analysis revealed that Abia State, led by Governor Alex Otti, spent N17.91bn on operating expenses and generated N22.15bn in revenue, falling short of the N32.14bn revenue target. Additionally, the state borrowed N3.901bn and allocated N10.91bn for debt servicing.

Adamawa State spent N41.45bn on recurrent expenditure, while it earned N9.16bn income out of its revenue of N22.24bn. This state borrowed N10bn and paid N22.68bn to service its debts.

Akwa-Ibom State recurrent spending reached N85.45bn in nine months, N43.98bn more than its generated revenue of N41.47bn in nine months. The state paid N34.47bn as debt service but didn’t borrow.

Anambra State generated more revenue (N28.296bn) than its recurrent spending of N12.70bn. It spent N4.56bn on debt service and didn’t record any borrowing.

 

The Bauchi government spent N99.31bn on its operating expenses. This state only got N15.92bn out of its budgeted target of N37.03bn but borrowed N33.64bn and paid N27.54bn as debt service.

Bayelsa state got N57.85bn IGR more than its revenue target of N23.87bn. It spent N75.23bn on its operating costs and spent N30.54bn on its debt service.

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue state approved the spending of N29.45bn for operating expenses while it collected N8.71bn as revenue out of an N23.91bn target. This state didn’t borrow but spent N5.48bn to service previous loans collected.

Similarly, Cross Rivers spent N55.73bn on recurring expenses, collected N32.42bn IGR, borrowed N20.67bn from its creditors and spent N19.99bn on debt service.

Delta state recurrent expenditure reached N121.54bn in nine months while it earned N97.02bn as revenue out of the N110.3bn target. The oil-rich state serviced its debt with N55.9bn and didn’t obtain any loan.

Also, Ebonyi State spent N37.73bn on its recurrent expenses but earned N15.67bn as revenue. The state borrowed N15.65bn and spent N8.46bn on debt service.

Edo State spent N75.78bn on recurrent expenditure but generated N52.68bn revenue. The state borrowed N12.84bn and spent N27.5bn on its debt service commitments.

Similarly, Ekiti State recurrent spending was N74.73bn, generated N23.16bn revenue, borrowed N11.75bn and spent N12.93bn to service its debts.

Enugu State spent N10.88bn on its operating expenses but got N39.98bn in revenue. This state borrowed N1.39bn and spent N6.93bn on its debt service.

Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodinma, spent N42.75bn on its operating expenses but got N15.24bn as revenue. This state spent N15.94bn to service its debts but didn’t obtain any loan.

While Jigawa incurred N35.69bn as operating expenses, it collected N18.41bn as revenue out of its target of N50.65bn borrowed N744.75m, and N2.17bn on debt service.

 

Further analysis showed that Katsina State spent N40.73bn on its recurrent expenditure while it generated revenue of N29.95bn. This state increased its loan by N72.89bn and paid N12.78bn as debt service.

Kebbi state recurrent spending was N22.42bn while it generated N7.86bn revenue. It also obtained an N24.59bn loan and paid debt service of N3.42bn.

Kogi State spent N84.48bn on its operating expenses but earned N19.86bn in revenue. The confluence state also obtained N51.68bn as loans and repaid N18.12bn debt.

Lagos state spending on recurrent expenses was N375.19bn, while it earned N912.15bn revenue. The state paid N84.53bn as debt service but didn’t obtain any loan.

Within the same period, Nasarawa spent N42.63bn on its operating expenses but got N22.78bn as revenue, Niger state recurrent expenses reached N41.28bn while it earned N29.22bn.

Ondo State spent N107.34bn on recurring expenses but only earned N24.43bn, Osun State spent N48.87bn but earned N28.86bn as revenue while Oyo State spent N51.24 on its recurrent expenditure, N45.79bn was collected as revenue.

Plateau spent N144.86bn on its recurring expenses but only earned N18.03bn; Rivers State’s spending on its operating costs was N72.69bn, but it earned N269.17bn.

Taraba state spending on recurrent expenditure reached N58.39bn, surpassing its revenue generation of N7.84bn,  resulting in a deficit of N50.55bn. This state borrowed N52.63bn and paid N21.19bn.

Yobe State spent N51.29bn on its recurrent costs but earned N8.14bn as revenue. Also, Zamfara spent N36.34bn on its recurrent expenditure but earned N18.46bn.

Commenting in an interview, A professor of Economics at Babcock University, Segun Ajibola, stated that the enduring problem of high governance expenses had persisted at the state level, with inadequate oversight and accountability resulting in minimal economic benefits for grassroots citizens.

Ajibola, a former president of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, lamented that state assemblies had also abandoned their oversight duties, leaving the state governors to operate with no iota of transparency and accountability.

The Fiscal Responsibility Commission last week expressed concerns over Nigeria’s current fiscal federalism structure, cautioning that the system may be unsustainable in its present form.

[Punch]

Nigeria has procured 12 pre-owned alpha jets from the French Air Force.

Olusegun Dada, special assistant to President Bola Tinubu on social media, said the jets were acquired through SOFEMA, a French military and aeronautics company.

“All the 12 aircraft are ready for shipping,” Dada posted on X on Thursday.

“As of 2023, the Nigerian Air Force has 11 Alpha Jets in service.”

 

Developed through a collaboration between France and Germany, the alpha jet is a versatile military aircraft designed primarily as a light attack jet and advanced trainer.

The aircraft is capable of carrying a variety of weapons, including bombs, rockets, and missiles. It is also equipped with a gun pod that can be used for close air support missions.

Dada added that the Nigerian Air Force is also expecting the arrival of 24 M-346FA light attack aircraft ordered by the past administration under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

The president’s media aide said the aircraft will arrive early next year.

Hasan Abubakar, the chief of air staff (COAS), said NAF has witnessed a remarkable turnaround, evident in the renewal of its aircraft fleet and enhanced operational readiness with Tinubu’s support.

The announcement of the French aircraft purchases comes days after Tinubu’s three-day state visit to France from November 27 to November 30. The president departed on December 1.

The visit was at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron.

 

Meanwhile, in October, Abubakar said Nigeria expected 24 Leonardo M-346FA aircraft from Italy, with six units already in production.

The air chief said the initial batch of three aircraft is expected to be handed over in early 2025, with total delivery scheduled for 2026.

Abubakar emphasised the necessity of establishing a maintenance hub in Nigeria to ensure long-term support for the aircraft.

Tinubu has repeatedly pledged to support the armed forces in their fight against insecurity.

[TheCable]

The Academic Union of Universities (ASUU) has condemned the student loan programme of the federal government disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.

The President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said the government should increase budgetary provision to the education sector or run a grant for the children of the poor.

 

Professor Osodeke stated this on Thursday while speaking on Channels TV.

 

He stressed that higher institutions have resorted to increasing school fees because of student loan.

Our issue with NELFUND is that in a country like Nigeria, it should be grants; and not a loan.

“All the universities are increasing their fees now; jerking up their fees so that the students will borrow more loans from this NELFUND, encumbering the children of the poor.

“In my university, in my department, I now have less than 10 students in the department, many have dropped out. Apart from some of these big courses like Medicine, Law and what have you, students are dropping out. The children of the poor are dropping out,” he said.

Osodeke explained that the student loan scheme had failed on two occasions because students were not able to pay back upon graduation.

He explained many graduates may not get work because of the economic situation of the country. He emphasized that the students may be morally demoralized upon graduation.

We are the academia, we do our research, we have searched all over the world, we have not seen. In most countries where you are having student loans when they graduate, they become problems in society. Some of them are demoralized.

“Imagine a student graduating from the university with a loan of five million naira. Even me as a professor, I can not pay back such a loan in 20 years’ time. Then student who graduates you have a loan of 5 million and you are getting a job in next 20 years.

 

“And we are saying if you loot at what happened in the 60s and 70s you can go to that level. The children of the poor assist them, increase budgetary allocation to education and this issue of loan will not come out.

“This is the third time they are introducing it, the last two times it collapsed, nobody benefitted. Those that benefitted didn’t pay back because it collapsed. So how are we sure this one will survive?” Osodeke stated.

[NaijaNews]

Max Air, bound for Abuja made an emergency landing back at Muhammadu Buhari International Airport Maiduguri, on Wednesday after its engine damaged following a suspected bird strike, officials reported.

Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Umar Usman Kadafur, was among the over 100 passengers that escaped death, and successfully landed in the airport.

The Interesting Things About Pha Din Pass, Dien Bien That Just A Few People Know

Daily Trust gathered that the incident occured 10 minutes after the plane took off from the airport.

The airline official, who is not in position to speak, said another plane was deployed from Lagos that conveyed the passengers to Abuja.

“About 10 minutes after the take off, the Aircraft hit a bird in the sky, which led to one of the engines to be severely damaged. Engineers were deployed from Kano, now working on the aircraft,” he said.

When contacted, the Manager of Max Air in Maiduguri, Mr Musa Bawuro, said he was aware of the incident, but could not comment until he got details of what actually transpired.

“Please give me time to find out from the captain,” he said.

[DailyTrust]

The Federal Government has confirmed that it has commenced sacking workers with certificates from unaccredited private tertiary institutions in the Benin Republic and Togo.

The Federal Government workers that are being dismissed are those who graduated from the institutions from 2017 to date.

The spokesperson of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, confirmed the development on Wednesday.

The government said the exercise is part of an effort to rid the country’s civil service of bad eggs.

Recall that in August, the Federal Government announced that only eight universities had been accredited to award degrees to Nigerians in Togo and the Benin Republic.

The development followed an undercover investigative report in which a Daily Nigerian journalist, Umar Audu, acquired a degree from a university in the Benin Republic in two months and used it to participate in the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, scheme.

Acting on the revelation, the Nigerian government banned the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from tertiary institutions in Benin Republic, Togo, and other foreign universities.

Consequently, the Federal Government set up an interministerial investigative committee on degree certificate milling to probe the activities of certificate racketeers.

Thereafter, the then Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, revealed that over 22,500 Nigerians obtained fake degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo. He announced that such certificates would be cancelled.

In a fresh update, DAILY POST gathered that some ministries, departments, and agencies, MDAs, such as the National Youth Services Corps, have commenced the implementation of the directive.

For instance, the NYSC Director of Information, Caroline Embu, confirmed that five members of staff had been sacked in line with the SGF’s directive.

She said, “Five members of staff were affected by the directive contained in the letter from the Office of the SGF.”

This comes weeks after former Nigerian senator, Shehu Sani, in November 2024, raised the alarm that the Federal Government had commenced sacking workers with unverified Benin Republic and Togo degrees.

[DailyPost]